On behalf of the New Phytologist Trust and symposium organisers, I am pleased to invite you to participate in a symposium entitled ‘Trait covariation: Structural and functional relationships in plant ecology’ to be held in Exeter, UK, 27 – 29 June 2017. Registration is now open. Field ecologists and ecosystem modellers share a common challenge – simplifying structural and functional attributes of ecosystems while accurately capturing the diversity observed in nature. Achieving a balance between these goals, and improving the predictability of the terrestrial biosphere, has spawned advances and debate. An exciting field of research is being forged at the intersection of plant ecology and ecosystem modelling, where both communities are seeking to understand and harness covariation among plant traits. [Information of the supplier, modified]